Eradication of pigmentation and scar tissue

An apparatus for removing skin pigmentation comprising:

• a barrel defining a shaft and including a tip configured to create a seal when positioned at a surface area of the skin, the barrel having a handle end and a needle end;
• a handle connected to the barrel;
• an inlet port within the barrel for introducing a fluid into the shaft;
• an outlet port within the barrel for removing the fluid from the shaft;
• a valve movable within the shaft between a first position and a second position, the valve configured to enable passage of the fluid from the inlet port to the shaft in the first position and from the shaft to the outlet port in the second position, the valve configured to block the fluid from passing from the inlet port to the shaft in the second position;
• and
• an array of needles provided at the needle end of the shaft and connected to the valve, the needles thereby movable with the valve between the first position and the second position, the needles extending a distance beyond the tip of the barrel at the first position thereby puncturing the area of skin when the tip is positioned at a surface area of the skin while the valve is in fluid communication with the needles thereby applying the fluid to the area of skin during puncturing;
• wherein the valve is configured to block the fluid from passing to the outlet port in the first position and the valve includes an inlet hole alignable with the inlet port at the first position but not at the second position, and the valve includes an outlet hole alignable with the outlet port at the second position but not at the first position.

A method for eradicating pigmentation in an area of skin, said method comprising repeatedly puncturing said area of skin with an array of needles while rinsing said array of needles with clean solution each time that they puncture said area of skin, said method carried out by:

• a) providing an apparatus that comprises:
• a handle portion including a motor and a gear assembly for causing a reciprocating motion to a shaft connected to the gear assembly;
• a barrel portion surrounding the shaft, a first end of the barrel portion attached to the handle portion and a second end of the barrel portion including a tip configured and arranged to form a hermetic seal with the area of skin;
• an array of needles attached to an end of the shaft near the tip;
• an inlet port in the barrel portion, the inlet port connected to solution storage means;
• an outlet port in the barrel portion, the outlet port connected to suction means;
• a piston attached to the shaft above the array of needles, the piston configured and arranged as a cylindrical valve that is operable to provide a hydraulic seal separating a volume inside the barrel portion above the piston from a volume below the piston and to synchronize opening and closing of the inlet port and the outlet port;
• an inlet hole in a side wall of the piston, the inlet hole fluidly connected to a bottom of the piston thereby providing a fluid path from the volume inside the barrel portion below the piston to the inlet hole;
• and
• an outlet hole in a side wall of the piston, the outlet hole fluidly connected to the bottom of the piston thereby providing a fluid path from the volume inside the barrel portion below the piston to the outlet hole;
• b) activating the motor thereby causing the array of needles to alternatively be pushed out of the tip of the barrel portion to puncture the area of skin and to mechanically damage cells containing pigment and to be withdrawn from the area of skin back into the tip, wherein during each downward stroke of the shaft the outlet port is closed by being not lined up with the outlet hole and the inlet port is opened by being lined up with the inlet hole such that solution in the solution storage means flows through the piston into the volume inside the barrel portion below the piston onto the needles thereby rinsing the needles and a surface of the area of skin, wherein during each upward stroke of the shaft the inlet port is closed by not being lined up with the inlet hole and the outlet port is opened by being lined up with the outlet hole thereby allowing solution which flowed onto the surface of the area of skin during the downward stroke and cellular fluids and pigments released by puncturing action of the needles to be sucked through the piston out of the volume inside the barrel portion by the suctioning means.